When I was working on my Five Steps to Raising Devoted Readers, one of the most influential books I read was The Reading Zone, by Nancie Atwell. Atwell is a reading seminar teacher at CTL, a school in rural Maine. On average, Atwell’s 7th and 8th graders read between 40-100 quality books each year. The numbers are equally impressive for the younger kids at CTL. When I learned of Nancie’s success with these kids, my first thoughts were--who are these kids that read so many books? Is CTL a special school for gifted kids? How much are their families paying to get them such an elite education?
And then I read the answer:
And then I read the answer: